Idle Hands
by GreenQueen615
Summary: Stuck in the house with nothing to do, James Potter casts about for any source of entertainment.


James Potter slumped down on the couch and sighed. Two months, three days, and counting. Ever since somebody had given Dumbledore the brilliant idea of the Fidelius Charm, he'd hardly been out of the house. Which was fine. Really. Because he loved confinement.

He pulled out his wand and began absentmindedly setting off little white-hot sparks. He leaned back and watched them land, setting small fires on his jeans and the couch cushions. He licked his thumb and put them out one by one, then groaned. This was pathetic.

He stuck his wand into his back pocket and flopped onto his stomach. He grabbed one of Lily's magazines from the side table and began flipping through it.

'100 Magical Meals'

'Scourgify! And Other Handy Cleaning Spells'

'Read His Mind…_Without_ Legilimency: Top 10 Tell-Tale Signs He's Unhappy.'

'Spice Up Your Life!'

James sighed again and paged through the magazine to the article entitled 'Spice Up Your Life!' A sub-title read '_15 Fun Ways to Relax and Enjoy Yourself_'.

Written by a witch named Mallory Didget, a small blurb instructed witches who were feeling 'frustrated and bored with their humdrum lives' to follow these 15 tips to 'live the life you want to live!'

James smiled and continued reading.

'1. Dress up as something you're not! Bored with your everyday routine? Wishing for a more glamorous existence? Well, you can have it, even if it's only for one night! Dress up as though you had a different profession. Want to be a Quidditch player? Well, grab your broom! Have a party with your friends: each of you dress up as something you'd rather be and go out on the town! Have fun!'

There was a brief moment of amusement as James pictured himself, Sirius, Remus, and Peter walking into The Leaky Cauldron and transforming into their Animagi shapes…of course, Remus would have to go as something else, as his werewolf-look might not make them particularly popular. Perhaps he could wear a dress. Or a Muggle outfit.

'2. Treat yourself to a spa day! Paint your nails, curl your hair, soak your feet, slap some cucumbers over your eyes, listen to relaxing music, get a massage, try a new beauty potion, and eat some ice cream! You deserve it!'

…Paint your nails? With what? Actual paint? Why was that in an article about spicing up your life? It ought to be in an article about repurposing household objects… 'Put cheese in your ears! Paint your nails! Rake your hair!'

Although it might make things interesting if he went into work with green nails someday, if he ever went back to work.

'3. Take a long, hot bath. With bubbles! Make sure there's fragrance in there, too: something soothing, like lavender or rose.'

'4. Learn a new skill. Try crocheting, or gardening. Maybe even drawing! Try your hand at baking a new dessert (p. 37 Delightful Desserts), whip up a new potion, learn to dance!'

'5. Get some new clothes! A new set of dress robes, a new hat, new shoes, even new socks can brighten anybody's day!'

'6. Read a new book! Some excellent new novels to try are 'Charmed', 'Fly Away, Heartbreaker', 'A Love Potion', and 'True Loves: Seven Sickles Each'. Enjoy!'

James scanned the rest of the page and chuckled, then tore it out of the magazine. He folded it and stuck it in his pocket, making a mental note to send it to Sirius at some point. Not that Sirius was ever going to be stuck in his house with months on end with nothing to do to the point that something from 'Witch Weekly' was going to seem logical, but still, it might give him a laugh.

He stood up and wandered into the kitchen, where Lily was leaning against a counter, drinking tea and reading another one of her magazines.

"Hey, Lils, do we have any ice cream?"

She glanced up at him. "Yeah, but we just had supper."

He shrugged and opened the freezer. "Yeah, well. I deserve it."

He wandered out of the kitchen, holding a pint of caramel-fudge swirl ice cream. She stared after him in confusion, then shook her head once and went back to her magazine. She looked up once when she heard the tub being filled, and then again when he poked his slightly damp head in and asked for paint. After directing him to the crafts cabinet, she sighed. This Fidelius bit seemed to be taking its toll on her usually sociable husband.

Later, she would wonder why his fingers were blue up to the first knuckle.


End file.
